Our Animals

Water Buffalo

Our Water Buffalo originally descend from Asian Buffalo, like those in India and Pakistan. They are called Water Buffalo as in the wild they inhabit swampy, wet areas. They are tame, friendly and curious animals. They are also quieter and easier to milk than most cows. Our buffalo herd numbers are over 1,500. Buffalo meat is a tasty alternative to beef. Their milk is very rich and creamy. It makes beautiful cheese, ice-cream and milkshakes.

Reared in large straw bedded yards, or grassy paddocks, the young buffalo are fed on a completely natural diet of hay, straw, a blend of GM free cereals or grass from clover rich pastures. No meat, bone or fish meals are fed to our buffaloes. Every attention is paid to the animal’s welfare. From baby calves to the day they leave the farm, no growth promoting hormones are used, nor antibiotics administered to any animal bearing the quality assured seal of Laverstoke Park. Free from the worries of BSE, antibiotic residue, Buffalo Meat is a natural choice for all those who still enjoy eating meat. Buffalo is full flavoured and tender. It can be prepared much the same way as beef without special handling.

As well as keeping water buffalo for meat we also have 200 milking buffalo which are well-known for producing mozzarella cheese. They produce far less milk than traditional cows but their milk has exceptional qualities such as a high solid content which make it excellent for cheese-making and other dairy products such as ice creams. Buffalo milk is very white, beautifully smooth, and an important source of protein and calcium. Unlike the array of industrially produced alternative milks, such as soya or other cereal milks, it is totally free of additives and chemical formulations. It is perfectly suited to making superb cheeses, yoghurts, ice creams and fantastic milk shakes! Buffalo milk is often used as a substitute for those with an intolerance to cow’s milk. Please call us on 0800 334 5505 if you have any questions.

Sheep

We have two breeds of sheep. Our combined flock numbers 880 ewes, 16 rams and we anticipate a total of 1200 lambs, which are born in the spring, starting from April. The sheep rotate across in excess of 400 acres.

Hebrideans – this ancient breed of sheep originates from the Outer Hebrides in Scotland, and produces our best tasting organic lamb.